Campaign seeks end to mental illness stigma

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. The local chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI, is observing the month by participating in a new national campaign called “CureStigma.”

The campaign characterizes stigma as a “social virus” spreading across America and features a nationwide public service announcement; a website where visitors can take a quiz to see if they have stigmatizing beliefs; as well as shareable graphics and an emoji pack for phones.

One in five adults in the United States lives with a mental health condition, according to NAMI. What’s more, half of all lifetime mental health conditions begin by age 14, while 75 percent begin by age 24, But early intervention programs can help.

“Stigma harms the one in five Americans affected by mental health conditions,” said Angela Dugger, executive director of NAMI Clark, Greene and Madison Counties.

“It shames them into silence. It prevents them from seeking help. And, in some cases, it takes lives,” Dugger said in a media release. “But there’s good news. Stigma is 100 percent curable. Compassion, empathy and understanding are the antidote.”

For more information about Mental Health Month, to take the Cure Stigma quiz and to access CureStigma resources, visit curestigma.org.